By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

For two extremely successful high school softball programs, the 2027 season will look considerably different.

Longtime head coaches Beth Dyer and Sam Petrash both announced their resignations last week.

Dyer coached the Field Falcons for 20 years and established the most dominant coaching career in Portage County softball history. Her career record of 388-113-1 results in an unbelievable .773 win percentage. For a mentor who coached at least 200 games, it is the best win percentage in county history.

Dyer’s 388 wins also place her second all-time in Portage County, trailing only Dave Dubinsky’s 458. Dubinsky coached Southeast from 1982 to 2014 and had a career record of 458-288 (.614).

Dyer has accepted a position as an assistant coach at Lorain Community College.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to step down from my coaching position,” Dyer said. “This was not an easy decision, but it is the right one for me at this time. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such dedicated athletes, supportive families and fellow coaches.”

Dyer will coach her daughter Olivia Dyer at Lorain Community College, while Dyer’s son, Kole, is a sophomore at Field.

Dyer’s final season for the Falcons featured a run to the Division IV state semifinal — the deepest postseason run in team history. The Falcons had won six of the last seven Metro Athletic Conference championships.

For Petrash, in Aurora, the success had also been recent and regular. 

In his eight seasons with the Greenmen, Petreash posted a career record of 149-41, and he helped guide the team to six consecutive Suburban League American Conference championships.

During that span, Aurora had a 75-7 league record.

BLAZING A TRAIL IN PORTAGE COUNTY

The Portage Trailblazers Track and Field Club recently completed a successful spring of competition that included winning the AAU Lake Erie district championship.

The team includes multiple standouts from Portage County:

•    Ravenna’s Azsah Bradley
•    Ravenna’s Denoah Wright
•    Brimfield’s Hannah Siudak
•    Mantua’s Kolton Borrelli
•    Kent’s Mahlia Friedman
•    Kent’s Kaidyn Harris

The club, which is coached by Aamirah Howard, was founded in 2017.

CONNER HUNT RACES TO NATIONAL TITLES

Add three more national championships to Conner Hunt’s ever-growing trophy case.

The Garfield High School graduate and incoming freshman at the University of Cincinnati captured three national titles over the weekend at the Move United Hartford Nationals in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Hunt, who competed in the Boys 17-19 T54 Division, finished in first place in the 100 meters (16.02), 400 meters (56.39) and 800 meters (2:01.75).

GULA EARNS SPOT WITH OHIO STATE

The newest Ohio State football player is a Streetsboro Rocket.

Jackson Gula (Class of 2025) recently earned a spot on the Buckeyes’ official roster as a walk-on.

Gula had originally committed to play at Kent State University, but changed to Ohio State when the Golden Flashes changed coaches.

Last year, Gula played free safety on the Ohio State club football team and finished with 29 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions, despite not joining the team until the fourth week of the season.

Gula (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) helped lead the Buckeyes’ club team to the National Club Football Association’s national championship.

Gula is listed as a redshirt freshman and will wear jersey No. 48.

PORTAGE SPORTS LIBRARY PHOTOSHOOT

We have had some fun photoshoots over the years, but today’s would fit somewhere toward the top of the list.

We hosted the 2026 High School Football and Cheerleading photoshoot event at the Reed Memorial Library in Ravenna.

A special thank you to library Director Amy Young and Marketing Coordinator Rebecca Miller. They were amazing hosts and openly receptive to our idea of dropping high school student-athletes into a familiar, but different and fun location for a photoshoot.

The photos captured today by photographer Shannon Eldreth (Eldreth Photography) will be the leading art, including the cover, for the 2026 High School Football Magazine, which will be published and available by mid-August.

The magazine is a 40-page, full-color, snapshot piece to kickoff the season with feature stories, preview information and more.

If you want to preorder one, they cost only $5, and you simply need to email Tom Nader at tomnader@portagesports.com to reserve a copy.

Attendees for this year’s event, along with one of their favorite childhood books were:

FOOTBALL

Crestwood: Jake Devlin, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Field: Andrew Phillip, Magic Tree House series

Garfield: Mason Kurtzman, Clifford the Big Red Dog

Kent Roosevelt: Cyler Foreman, Frog and Toad are Friends

Mogadore: Maddox Smith, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Ravenna: Bradley Davis, No, David!

Rootstown: Max McEwuen, Cat in the Hat

Southeast: Aidan McCann, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Streetsboro: Demetrius Fuller, Harry Potter

Waterloo: Keyshawne King, Toy Story

Windham: Bryan Smithberger, Jackie and Me

CHEERLEADING

Aurora: Reese Wood, Pinkalicious

Crestwood: Lailah D’Amato, A Bad Case of Stripes

Field: Autumn Birmingham, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Garfield: Chloe Girt, Goodnight Moon

Kent Roosevelt: Greta Mertes, Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Mogadore: Kourtney Beech, Magic Tree House series

Ravenna: Holly Harper, A Bad Case of Stripes

Rootstown: Keegan Nelson, The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Southeast: Courtney Giller, Pinkalicious

Streetsboro: Amaya Basinger, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Waterloo: Kelsey Eichler, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

Windham: Elaina Tucker, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

Thank you to everyone for a fun morning!